The explanations are sometimes simplistic or biased, but they're helpful when you just need some initial orientation and Google has only made things worse. Here's the best of the thread, plus some of our own commentary.

Startup funding rounds

Startups that hope to grow into massive companies raise money in exchange for equity. They often start with a "friends and family" round or "angel round" from individual investors, then move up to bigger rounds from venture capital firms, who pool together several investors' funds. Each round of funding is lettered. Getting several rounds of funding can be good or bad, depending on the size and direction of the company.

Web developer Laurie Voss gives a qualitative breakdown:

"Angel" = we just need to pay for our food"Seed" = we have an idea, maybe a prototype"Series A" = we have a product but no/few users"Series B" = we have a product, know how to sell it, we just need to grow faster"Series C" onwards = same as series B but we want more money.

Open office plans

There are pros and cons to working in an open office plan instead of cubicles or private offices, but don't think that the workers are the ones making the choice. And remember that things could get worse - some offices don't even give their workers one designated seat at the table. Capitalism will find a way to make even the most privileged workers feel like itinerant labour.

They’re cheaper. That’s the only practical reason. Research shows they’re way less productive and most people hate them for doing real work. They’re great for chatting and making the company have a cool looking, “vibrant” office.

Augmented reality and virtual reality

It's hard to tell what technology is just a recurring fad, and what will actually change the world. Internet commerce was a bubble before it was real; the PDA was a flop before it evolved into the smartphone. And big tech players such as Facebook and Google certainly think that AR and VR are important enough to invest billions in research and marketing.

I felt this way too and I think its largely because that's the driving conversation around it but as someone who works in the life sciences AR has HUGE implications for improved healthcare and surgeries.

Market disruption

In the tech industry, "disruption" means upending an existing market by rewriting the rules. Disruption often shrinks the amount of money flowing through a market, by making that market much more efficient. A disruptive company isn't just a new competitor. It changes how things work for every other player in the surrounding industry. This always has a downside, and anyone who says otherwise is selling you something.

Money. Disruption creates or re-litigates markets and allows for sector growth and, if the disruptive company can hold onto its momentum over competitors, money for investors.

Amazon, for example, disrupted the book industry by skipping the physical bookstore and funelling consumers into one store. This is fantastic for customers, at least in the short term, since Amazon pretty much killed scarcity. But it's been hell on the industry, which wasn't built to cope with one giant distributor that can make or break everyone else.

Uber, similarly, cut out a huge inefficiency in the taxi market by introducing mobile ride-hailing. This brought cheap car service to cities that previously couldn't support it, upending not just the taxi industry but the industries around renting, manufacturing and leasing cars. Even the local mechanic does business differently thanks to Uber. Of course, that's just the tip of it; Uber is also disrupting customer privacy and the sovereignty of government. Some companies almost seem to exist just to disrupt things, and only make money as a side effect.

Bitcoin and the blockchain

To be honest, it isn't your job to understand how blockchain technology works. You can use a car, a TV or a smartphone without really understanding how they work. And the blockchain is more abstract and complicated than all of those. But here's the basic concept:

As for why it matters, I think many in tech are still figuring that out. As a start...- no “waiting X bank days” for transfer- banks no longer determine who can have accounts- no payment fraud (once a couple blocks clear, it’s extremely expensive for bad actor to take it back)

Down Votes

Only logged in users may vote for comments!

Get Permalink

Trending Stories Right Now

Escalator walkers and escalator standers are forever locked in struggle—they are like toilet paper over-the-roll installers and under-the-roll installers, or GIF pronouncers, or one-spacers and two-spacers, only brought head to head every day in the malls, airports, offices, train exits, and sundry moving staircases of the world.
And the real-world evidence, it seems, is on the side of the standers. Walkers are a bottleneck, and they’re slowing each other — and the standers — down.

Contracts kinda suck. While the telco industry is built on the back of two-year commitments, locking yourself into one provider for as long as 24 months never feels great. What if there’s a better deal? What if the service is terrible? What if you decide to abandon technology and live a nomadic life off the grid?